AU773843B2 - A leash plug for a surf craft - Google Patents

Description

AUSTRALIA

Patents Act 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION STANDARD PATENT Applicant(s): DING GOES PTY LTD Invention Title: A LEASH PLUG FOR A SURF CRAFT The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me/us: 2 A LEASH PLUG FOR A SURF CRAFT Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a leash plug for a surf craft, for example for a surfboard, waveski, bodyboard, wavejumper, etc. The plug can be used with any water craft that is typically secured to a user via a leash, leg or hand rope etc.

Background to the Invention Leg rope plugs have been used for a number of years in surfboards to enable a strong and secure fastening of a leg rope to the surfboard. However, in particularly large surf conditions, significant drag forces can be imposed on the surfboard and these forces must be born by the leg rope plug, in particular at its mounting to the surf craft.

Summary of the Invention The present invention provides a leash plug for a surf craft including a body and flange projecting 20 laterally out from a side of the body, wherein the flange is provided with at least one aperture extending through the flange, the arrangement being such that when the leash plug is fixed in a surf craft, the at least one aperture engages with bonding material used to fix the leash plug 25 in the surf craft. By an employing flange, when the plug is mounted to a surf craft the flange provides further area and resistance to the plug being dislodged from the surf craft when excessive forces are applied thereto.

When the terminology "leash plug" is employed, it is intended to include both leg rope and hand rope plugs etc.

Typically the flange is annular. In other words, 3 the flange typically extends out from the body right around the circumference thereof. Alternatively, the flange may be rectangular.

Preferably, the body is substantially cylindrical.

The flange may locate at an end of the body.

The flange may simply be a flat planar member, and the at least one aperture may be in the form of at least one slot extending through the flange. The apertures and/or slots assist with adhesion of the flange during its mounting within a surf craft.

Typically the body is an essentially circular cylinder and has an open top and a closed bottom end to define a plug recess therein. In this regard typically a leash pin extends transversely in the recess from one side to the other, the pin providing a member against which the surf craft leash can be tied, with a resulting knot typically sitting at least partially within the recess.

*Preferably the pin is formed of a corrosion resistant metal such as stainless steel and is usually moulded within the body of the plug. Preferably the body and flange are moulded as an integral unit, typically from a plastic injection mouldable material.

Brief description of the drawings Notwithstanding any other forms which may fall within 25 the scope of the present invention, preferred forms of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: S*Figures 1 to 5 show plan elevations of alternative leash plugs formed in accordance with the present invention; Figures 6 and 7 show side elevations of alternative leash plugs formed in accordance with the present invention; 4 Figures 8 and 9 show side elevations in situ of two further leash plugs in accordance with the present invention; Figures 10 and 11 show plan and side elevations respectively of a further leash plug in accordance with the present invention; and Figure 12 shows a side elevation of a still further leash plug in accordance with the present invention.

Modes for carrying out the Invention Referring now to the drawings, where like reference numerals are used to denote similar or like parts, leash plug 10 includes a generally cylindrical body 12 having a recess 14 defined in a wall 15, and through which a leash retaining pin 16 transversely extends.

Projecting laterally out from and beyond the side of the body 12 of the plug is an annular flange 18. In figure i, the flange is unadorned and unembossed, and is simply a plain extension of the body material (ie annularly moulded therewith from a typically injection mouldable plastic) However, as shown in figure 2, a plurality of holes •20 can be defined through the flange. When the plug is mounted in a surf craft (eg as indicated schematically in figures 8 and 9) typically it is fixed therein using a polymeric resin which is poured around the outside of the plug body. The resin can thus flow into and through the holes and cures (sets) therein, thus further binding the flange and hence the plug to the surf craft, and resulting in an extremely strong bond.

Referring to figure 3, as an alternative to employing holes, slots 22 can be formed in the flange, providing for a greater amount of binding resin extending through the flange and thus further locking the flange to the surf 5 craft. In addition to or as an alternative to the employment of holes and slots, the external surface of the flange (and also the external surface of the body) can be provided with score lines 22 as shown in Figure 4 (eg which are formed on the plug surface during moulding, or after moulding etc). Again, when the plug is moulded into the surf craft, polymeric resin binder flows into and over the score lines and thus enhances the bonding between the surf craft and the plug.

Referring now to figure 5 a plug which is virtually identical to that shown in figure 4 is depicted. However, in this case the wall 23 of the plug body is formed of a relatively thicker material to enhance overall strength.

Referring now to figure 6, a plug body 12 that is elongate in height, is depicted for fitting into a relatively thicker surf craft section. In this case the flange projects out from the side of the body approximately mid-way there along.

Referring to figure 7, a relatively squat body 12 is depicted for mounting in thinner surf craft sections. In S"this case the flange projects outwardly from the body, closer to the top thereof. In fact the flange can be located anywhere along the side wall of the body and may even optionally project out from the base of the body as a separate or additional flange. Thus multiple flanges can be employed. Whilst the flange has been shown as a continuous annular projection, it can be provided in the form of a plurality of discrete projections at various positions over the external surface of body.

Referring now to figure 8 it will be seen that the flange 18 projects out from the sidewall at a base of the body. Figure 8 indicates how polymeric resin 24 surrounds the plug and flange in the recess 26 of a surf craft 28.

6 Figure 8 also indicates that deck 30 of the surf craft can define an overhang 32 above recess 26, ie the recess undercuts the deck, so that the leash plug must be angled to pass through the opening 34 to enable its positioning in the recess, prior to pouring the resin binder therearound. As can be seen, once the resin binder is poured to fill up the recess, it sits in under the overhang 32, and also above and under the flange, thus further enhancing the mounting of the plug to the surf craft.

Referring to figure 9, the flange 18 is depicted as more of a continuum of the plug body, rather than a discrete projection. Again, the flange 18 sits under the overhang 32 of the surf craft.

In Figures 10 and 11 an alternative leash plug is shown which includes a relatively large generally rectangular flange 18 and a plug body 12 which extends upwardly of the flange 18. This leash plug is particularly suitable for mounting in relatively thin surf crafts, since the relatively large flange 18 serves to retain the plug in the surf craft and the plug body 12 may extend out of the retaining resin 24 and above the surf craft 28.

The leash plug shown in Figure 12 is similar to the leash plug shown in Figures 10 and 11 except that the flange 18 is generally circular and not rectangular in shape.

With the embodiment shown in Figures 10 to 12 the retaining pin 16 may be removable from the plug body 12, for example by providing the retaining pin and plug body with cooperating screw threaded portions.

As stated above, the plug is typically moulded from plastic, and is typically injection moulded, although it 7 may also be machined from plastic or a metal (which is preferably corrosion resistant such as stainless steel so the plug can be used in water) or other suitable material.

Typically the pin is formed from a corrosion resistant high strength material such as a stainless steel.

Whilst the invention has been described with reference to a number of preferred embodiments, it should be appreciated that the invention can be embodied in many other forms.

a.

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Claims (7)

1. A leash plug for a surf craft including a body and a flange projecting laterally out from a side of the body, wherein the flange is provided with at least one aperture extending through the flange, the arrangement being such that when the leash plug is fixed in a surf craft, the at least one aperture engages with bonding material used to fix the leash plug in the surf craft.

2. A plug as claimed in claim 1, wherein the flange is substantially annular.

3. A plug as claimed in claim 1, wherein the flange is substantially rectangular.

4. A plug as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the body is substantially cylindrical.

5. A plug as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the flange locates at an end of the body.

A plug as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein the aperture is in the form of a slot extending through the flange.

7. A leash plug substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to, and as shown in, the accompanying drawings. Dated this 1 5 th day of January 2001 DING GOES PTY LIMITED By its-Patent Attorneys GRIFFITH HACK